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I started out this blog to prove to my parents and myself that I can move out and live on my own. I talked about all of the key things that I feel I need to know, as well as what any young adult would need to know.

As of right now my problem is still unresolved. I am still at home. I hope to move out by January. I know, I know, I wanted to get out ASAP but I just recently go fully accepted into ISU. I know! Yay for me! I think that going to a new college next semester will be an adjustment so I want to make sure I can handle it. Also, I need to find reliable roommates whom I can trust.

I am overall satisfied with my research for this blog and I truly hope that other young adults can make the move into adulthood with the help of my blog. Thank you all so much for the support and interest in what I have to say! Until January…

The downside to a townhouse rather than a student apartment is that a townhouse comes unfurnished. Meaning I need to spend some money on furniture. Its April! Which means garage sale season is on its way! I love nice stylish things but I love a bargain more. My advice is buy the ugliest cheapest piece of a so-called couch you can find and spruce it up.

I am a DIY (do it yourself) kind of girl. And seeing as my major is family and consumer science, I know a thing or two about the sewing machine. But, seeing as I am truly just starting my major in the fall I know nothing about teaching. Lucky for you all, someone else does.

All things thrifty has a large list of DIY reupholstering tutorials that will save you a lot of money on furnishing your new home. If you are like me, broke but needy of nice things; its time to make a compromise.

I know that I needed to know how to take care of my own bills, but in talking to my parents they are thinking of purchasing the town home for me. I know! Sounds pretty spectacular.. so I will not have my own personal bills coming to my townhouse. But eventually I will, so here’s what I will do…

Alright, this is what I took from the financial class my mom made me take as a junior in high school at my church; stay organized. Dave Ramsey is his name and money is his game. He is the ultimate financer. The most helpful and important tip I can leave with you from him is to separate your money. In order to avoid debt, all bills must be paid when they are due. His very helpful tip was to use a coupon booklet (with lots of pockets) to separate the money you have for where you must spend it.

For example, on my blog, Budgeting, I listed out how to spread your money over a whole month. So, to insure that my $1,000/ month will go to exactly what I need it to go to, I will categorize it.

Many young people my age open their wallets to just one section of cash and take how every much out that they need to pay their grand total at the register. Many spend too much money on clothes (me) and others on alcohol (college life). Soon the money in their wallet is down to a bare minimum and they do not have enough to afford groceries, rent that month, etc. splitting up your money into categories, like I did in my blog budgeting, ensures that you only spend the amount you have on all they things you need. So my advice to make sure the bills get paid is to think about how much, on average, each bill will be and keep that money aside. Only touch it to pay that bill, nothing else.

The best thing about living at home with the parents is FREE FOOD! But, free food is not going to keep me living with my parents. I believe that in order to move out, I need to know how to shop, grocery shop that is. On the webpage, raisingarrows.com, the author created a master grocery list. I like her ideas but I do not need all of her items she feels are necessary. One big helpful tip I am stealing from her are her categories:
BAKING NEEDS
CONDIMENTS
PASTA/RICE
FRESH FRUITS & VEGGIES
DAIRY
MEATS
SNACKS/BREADS
CANNED GOODS
FROZEN
MISCELLANEOUS
These groups got me thinking of what is a true necessity to buy when first moving out of the family house.In baking needs…
flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, cooking oil, and of course yummy brownie mix!In condiments…
Ketchup, mayo, salt, pepper, BBQ sauce, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and random seasonings(I’ll have to ask mom what the necessary ones are besides salt and pepper)In pasta/ rice…
spaghetti noodles, macaroni noodles, penne noodles, and riceIn fresh fruits & veggies…
Apples, bananas, lettuce, carrots, peppers, sugar snap peas, blue berries, etc. (ONLY BUY WHAT YOU CAN EAT BEFORE THEY GO BAD)In dairy…
Milk, eggs, yogurt, shredded cheese, sliced cheese, and cottage cheeseIn meats…
Turkey lunch meat, (if I ever learn to grill/ cook meat I would add beef/ chicken to this)In snacks/breads…
Loaf of bread, chips, granola bars, gold-fishIn canned goods…
Soups, canned fruit, and pasta sauceIn frozen…
chicken tenders, french fries, tater tots, and pizza

All of these food items are my personal opinions of what I feel that I need. I think that the first trip to go to the grocery store is going to cost a lot so if you are moving out soon, put money aside for the grocery list. After this first trip the cost will go down because certain needed items will last a long time! Take a good deep breath before finding out the total!

Being a server, it is very difficult to figure out my monthly salary. It all depends on the business of the restaurant. On average I make:
Weekday night: $70-75
Weekend day: $50-60
Weekend night: $80-100
I work around 20-25 hours per week. For example, this week I work 1 weekday night, 2 weekend days, 1 weekend night. That means I should make around $285 this week in tips. If I were to make this every week, I would end up with $1,140 this month.
I recently read a blog at fabulouslyfrugirl.wordpress.com, from her blog I came up with this budget plan..
HOW TO BUDGET WITH $1,000/ MONTH…Rent/mortgage: $115
Grocery: $200
Phone: $30
Toiletries/grooming:$50
Clothing/shoes:$80
Transportation(gas):$100
Eating out: $120
Misc: $50
Savings: $255
Obviously, this budget is going to fluctuate, but I know I have a solid foundation to start with. I know now that I can afford to move out, it will take time to get the hang of budgeting but it will only help me for the future!

I know it sounds completely crazy to buy a house as a college student but it has its advantages. I recently read a blog by karamachelle. It was titled, “college, life, and buying a home.” She talked in her blog about how paying a mortgage was much cheaper than the ridiculously priced apartment rent fees. She found a house that made her pay just $54 a month! After seeing this I began searching for foreclosures where I live that were relatively close to ISU/ Heartland. I found one located close to Fairview Park. It is a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath townhouse with appliances! The mortgage is $345 a month. Since there are 3 bedrooms I will have roommates making my rent $115! I defiantly can handle that.

So you are probably all wondering why on Earth I would pass this up for an apartment! Well an apartment, it insures that I will be around other students. This is a huge plus in my book. My one thing against living at home and going to a community college is the fact that not many life long friendships occur. I want to live around students my age and get to know them instead of just sitting in a class two days a week barely talking to them. These apartments I have in mind are close to $500 a month. I know that I can afford that, but it is not very beneficial for my savings account with which I put money into for college tuition.